Slide plate



Patented Aug. 5, 12924.

a AND COMPANY, INCORPORATED, or PIrrsB'uRGn rnNNsYLvANiA, .as

PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION OF `FENNSYLVANLA.

SLIDE PLATE.

Application filed May 12, 1923.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known thatrI, ANDREW MORRISON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Penn Township, in the county-fof Alleghe- 5 ny and State of Pennsylvania, have inventedV a new and useful Improvement in Slide Plates, of 'which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The `present invention relates particularly to slide plates for railway switches, and especially. to plates of this character having a riser uponV which the-switch tongue may be moved.

It has heretofore been proposed to produce switch plates of this general construction by 'rolling in continuous series, and then cutting transverselyto provide individual plates; Ordinarilysuch plates have had a continuous riser which had to be cut away to form seats for the rail and also for the guard rail' orv rail brace.' Such plates have been objectionable from the standpoint of waste metal produced by the milling operation, and from the unnecessary 25 weight of metal handled.

By the present invention there is provided a slide plate constructed to materially reduce `the amount :of waste metal, and thereby the cost of production and handlin .Y

Tghis invention also has for its object the production of a slide plate adapted to embed uniformly-in a Ysupporting tie` throughout its `entire length, to thereby maintain the desiredrtrack conditions without any tilt ing or spread of the rails.

In the accompanying drawings there are shown for purposes of illustration only certain embodiments of. the present invention, 40 it being understood -that1 the drawings do not define the limits of the invention as changes may obviously Vbe made therein without departing from the 4spirit thereof or'scope of my broader. claims.

45 In the drawings:` i

Figure l is a top plan view of a slide plate constructed in` accordance with the present invention-g Figure 2 is ai rside view` of tion illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure l, illustrating a modified form of slide plate;

the construc- Serial No. 638,502.

Figure 4 is a side View of the tion illustrated in Figure 3;

F igure 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line V--V of Figure 3; i l Figure 6 is a top plan view other form of slide plate, andl F y'igkure' 7 isV a transverse sectional vie on the line VII-4VII of Figure 6. 60 In the use of slide plates, I have found that the portion of the plate whichc'arries the main track rail 4is subjected to a greater4 load than that portionwhich carries "the` switch tongue. This difference in loads has heretofore not been taken intocnsideration in the constructionof `slide plates, and-'the result has been a non-uniform `embedding of the plates. This places therails atan inclination and slightly spreads the "same, thereby producing unde'rsirable and unsafe track conditions.y Inr accordance fwith"th 'e present invention, the slide plate isY designed so as to provide effective tie-engaging'surfaces having areas approximately proportionate tothe loads which theycarry.

Referring more Aparticularly to that form of the invention illustrated inFigures l and 2, there is illustrateda slide plate having a rail supporting portion A and `a switch.' tongue supportingpor tion B. The rail supporting" portion is provided -with a lshoiilder 2 adapted Y to co-operate with one edgeof 4,the'vb'ase flange -3 of a standard track rail.- This shoulder is formedof an excess o'f material `adapted* to be cut away as maybe required to accommodate rails 'of different sizes. Spaced from the shoulder2 is a sec'- ond shoulder`4 preferably slightly higher than the shoulder 2 and adaptedto co-opcrate with one edge 0f a ,rail brace 5. V The shoulder 4 is formed in a manner similar to the shoulder 2A'providing 4an excess of material adapted to be suitably cut away as may be required to accommodate r'ail braces of different sizes."-It will be' u'nderstood that in rolling the plate initially the shoulders 2 and 4 areso dimensionedas to 'co-operate with rails or braces of the small.- 100 est dimensions commonly used. With such rail braces no cutting is necessary. The surplus `of metal provided in th'e'shoulders,` however, makes it possible to c'ut the shoulconstrueof still anders to co-operate with rails and braces of greater dimensions.

'Ihe switch tongue supporting portion B is formed with a continuous riser 6 upon which the switch tongue 7 is adapted to slide in moving from one position to the other. As the load carried by the rail supporting portion is materially heavier than the load carried by the switchtongue supportinw por- 10 tion, the slide plate is preferably rolled to provide an interrupted 'tie-engaging surface. This may be accomplished by forming a portion of the slide plate base with a depression 8 whereby the switch tongue supporting portion contacts with a tie adjacent the edges only throughout the major portion of its length, while the rail supporting portion has a substantially continuous tie-engaging surface providing a greater area of contact.

These respective areas of Contact are proportionate roughly to the respective loads carried by the diiferent portions of the plate, thereby insuring amore nearly uniform embedding action which is effective for maintaining the plates'in substantially true horizontal position. t

It will be understood that the shoulder 9 deiningvone end of the riser 6 is adapted toco-operate with the opposite base flange 3 of a standard rail.

By initially forming the slide plate with spaces 10 and 11 having surfaces substantially Hush with the main upper surface of the plate, cutting away at thesepoints is obviated and the weight of metal required .for a tie plate is materially reduced. As a further saving of material, thel edges of the plate may be cut away or tapered slightly as'indicated by the reference characters l2. i 'In order to further insure uniform embedment of the plates in the tie surfaces, the portion of each plate immediately below the shoulder 4 may be cut away by forming Va recess 13 similar to the recess 8. Such a Vconstructionmay be advisable for the reason that the rail brace is not subjected k to as great a load as the main rail. This insures a construction in which the resistance to embedding throughout the entire length of the plate bears a definite relation i tothe loads carried by the different portions of the plate. The fconstruction described maybe produced in quantity and carried in stock irrespective of the particular rail sizes with which the plates are to be used. Conveniently, they may be formed by die rolling tofprovide a continuous series, the individual platesbeing later separated by shearing transversely, as is well understood. In cer- Hf# tain instances, however, with sufficiently large orders, the plates' may be initially rolled to the exact dimensions required for the lrespective rails and braces with which theyiare'to. be rvused. Such a.l construction is illustrated in Figures 3 to 5, both inclu: sive, in which parts corresponding to the parts already described are designated by the same characters having a prime su'iliXed thereto. In Figures 3 and 4, the shoulders 2 and 4 are of the exact dimensions required. In these figures also the plates are shown as connected in a continuous series adapted to be sheared on the chain linesindicated. It will be apparent more particularly from an inspection of Figure 3 that in the rolling operation, a single recess may p-rovide the interrupted bearing surface for the switch tongue supporting portion and for the rail brace supporting portion.

In Figures 6 and 7 there is shown a corp struction similar to thatshown more particularly in Figures 3, 4 and 5 but with 'straight upper edges. In certain cases, where increased strength is required, such a construction may beprovided. l

The advantages of the present invention arise from the provision of a slide plate havy ing tie-engaging areas approximately pro= portionate to the loads which they 'carry'.

Further advantages arise from the provision of slide plates having shoulder portions designedv to co-operate with rails or rail braces of a minimum size and having an ein..`

cess of metal which may be cut away to permit cof-operation with rails of different sizes.

I claim:

1. A slide plate having on its upper face a rail supporting portion andl a 'sii'v'itch tongue supporting portion, the lower falce of the plate having aY greater effective tie-Y engaging surfaceper unit of area under the rail supporting portion than atthe other portions of the plate at each side of said rail supporting portion, substantially as described. Y

2. A slide. plate having a rail supporting; portion and a switch tongue supporting portion, said switch tongue supporting poiition having an interrupted tie-engaging Vface on one side of the rail supporting portion, there being also an interrupted tie-engaging face on the opposite side of the rail supporting portion, substantially as described.

3. A slide plate having a rail supporting recess and a switch tongue supporting portion formed during the rolling, said rail supporting recess having shoulders on opposite sides adapted to Vcooperatewith4 a rail, substantiallyy as described.

4. A slide plate having a .rail supporting portion and a switch tongue supporting portion, said rail supporting portionhaving an effective tie-engaging surface of greater area per unit. of length .than the other tie engaging portions Vof the plate, substantially as described. y, y i

5. A slide plate having a rail supporting portion provided jwith spacedv shoulders with a riser and adapted for cao-operation respectively with a rail and with a rail brace, a portion of tie plate below the rail brace engaging shoulder being removed to provide a decreased bearing surface, substantially as described.

6. A continuous plate formed on one side with shouldersand on the opposite side with a series of recesses whereby the tie-engaging surface is reduced, said plate being adapted to be cut transversely tov form separate slide plates, substantially as described.

7 A continuous plate formed on one side with a riser and with shoulders, and on the opposite side with recesses whereby the tieengaging surface is reduced, said plate being adapted to be cut transversely through said recesses to form separate slide plates, substantially as described.

8. A continuous slide plate formed on one side with a riser and with shoulders, and on the opposite side with recesses whereby the tie-engaging surface is reduced, each recess underlying a portion of a riser and a following shoulder, said plate being adapted to be cut transversely intermediate each riser and the following shoulder .to form separate slide plates, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ANDREW MORRISON. 

